Mental Control

"Should we just charge in?" Xiao Yan asked eagerly as he looked at the tightly shut gates of the Sand Mercenary Corps' compound.

"You wait here for a while. I'll go in first and scout out the Sand Mercenary Corps' true strength," Huo Yuhao said.

"Alright! Be careful... Wait!" Xiao Yan had just agreed when he realized something was off. "Even Senior Hai Bodong isn't your match. What is there to be cautious about with a mere mercenary corps?"

"Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit," Huo Yuhao said. "What if this mercenary corps has some hidden trump card? Like when we rescued Senior Gu He—the Dou Wang rushed straight into the formation and was killed before he could even use his full strength."

"That's true." Xiao Yan and the Little Fairy Doctor fell into thought. Huo Yuhao's figure blurred, then vanished from where he stood.

After a while, there was still no movement from within the Sand Mercenary Corps' compound. Xiao Yan suddenly recalled what had happened with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

"Something's wrong. Huo Yuhao has gone off to hog everything for himself again!"

"Teacher?" the Little Fairy Doctor asked Yao Chen.

"Why are you calling your teacher? This old man doesn't sleep well!" Yao Chen yawned, then said to the Little Fairy Doctor and Xiao Yan, "Why wait for Yuhao? If you want to go in, then just go in."

"Right, let's go!" Xiao Yan hoisted the Profound Heavy Ruler and kicked the gates open.

"Yuhao, are you planning to leave them another puppet?" Yao Chen's voice rang out after Huo Yuhao dealt with another Dou Shi.

Huo Yuhao carefully laid down the mercenary's corpse to keep it from making noise and alerting the others. He replied inwardly, "I left a few Dou Zhe alive. I was also planning to keep one or two Dou Shi who had only recently broken through."

Yao Chen hesitated before saying, "There's actually no need... That kid Xiao Yan probably only wants to settle things with their leader. He doesn't intend to slaughter the entire mercenary corps."

"They were merely following orders and trying to make a living."

Huo Yuhao's movements slowed until he came to a complete stop. He looked at his own hand, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Yao Chen hurriedly said, "None of this really matters. What mercenary doesn't have blood on his hands? Once they take up weapons, there will come a day like this. They have no one to blame but themselves..."

"Teacher," Huo Yuhao interrupted Yao Chen. "I know."

Huo Yuhao did not say what exactly he was thinking about. Instead, he headed toward the center of the compound. When he encountered another Sand Mercenary Corps officer, Huo Yuhao silently used the Qi Control Art, condensing the surrounding natural energy into an energy needle that stabbed toward an acupoint at the back of the man's head.

At the same time, Huo Yuhao's spiritual power suppressed the man's perception of danger.

Without making a sound, the officer collapsed. Just as he was about to hit the ground, Huo Yuhao appeared beside him and caught his body. Perhaps because of Yao Chen's words, the mercenary had merely fainted. With his acupoints sealed, he had only lost his ability to fight.

Upon arriving outside the room of Luo Bu, the Sand Mercenary Corps' leader, Huo Yuhao stopped rather than entering recklessly. He swept his spiritual power back and forth through the small room several times.

"No traps." Huo Yuhao understood inwardly that most formations on the Battle Qi Continent had likely been lost. No longer hesitating, he entered Luo Bu's room and stood behind him without drawing the slightest notice.

"Damn it, those leaders really don't know what's good for them! I've broken through to the Da Dou Shi level! What's so bad about merging with our Sand Mercenary Corps?" After leaving the Desert Iron Mercenary Corps, Luo Bu had rushed without pause to the compounds of Stone Desert City's other mercenary groups. He had thought that, with the prestige of having broken through to Da Dou Shi, he could unify Stone Desert City's mercenary world—or at the very least conquer most of it. Yet, unexpectedly, very few mercenary groups were willing to merge.

"If Desert Iron and Storm agree to merge, I'll be able to stand against the city lord in Stone Desert City. Perhaps tomorrow I should wipe out a mercenary group to establish my authority..."

Just as Luo Bu was making plans, a fair white palm settled atop his head. In an instant, before Luo Bu could react to what had happened, pain flashed across his forehead as a powerful stream of spiritual power surged into his mind and scattered his consciousness. Luo Bu's thoughts stopped at once.

Yao Chen drew in a sharp breath as he watched Luo Bu lose consciousness without offering any resistance. "Terrifying indeed. I never imagined one could fight like this." As he spoke, Yao Chen also felt puzzled. "Even if you can affect his sixth sense, Yuhao, he shouldn't have failed to notice anything at all! He's a mercenary who has lived by the blade for decades..."

Huo Yuhao did not release his grip. He still held Luo Bu's head as he used the Soul Search Art, replying to Yao Chen at the same time, "From the moment I entered the room, he had already fallen into the illusion of 'Dreamshock.'"

After carefully reviewing Luo Bu's memories, Huo Yuhao gently laid him on the bed and let out a breath. "It seems there's no conspiracy. He simply wanted to expand."

Looking at Luo Bu, whose consciousness was gradually fading due to damage to his soul, Huo Yuhao suddenly had an idea and placed his hand on his head once more.

"Yuhao, are you going to refine him into a puppet again?" Yao Chen asked.

"My previous Soul Control would make the target lose most of their intelligence, leaving them able to obey only my commands. Now, I want to try using spiritual sharing to alter and reshape his consciousness," Huo Yuhao explained. "Teacher, please go call Xiao Yan and Xian'er over. It's such a small place, yet they can still get lost. If they stay lost much longer, even if they don't intend to wipe out the corps, they'll practically have done so."

Yao Chen rubbed his forehead. "Alright!"

"Brother Yuhao... What are you doing?"

Guided by Yao Chen, Xiao Yan and the Little Fairy Doctor finally found Luo Bu's room. When they pushed open the door, they saw Huo Yuhao and the Sand Mercenary Corps' leader, who should have been fighting, standing with their arms around each other's shoulders.

After only a moment of surprise, Xiao Yan understood what had happened. "He's under your 'Dreamshock' illusion, right?"

With that, Xiao Yan tossed the Profound Heavy Ruler onto the floor. "Again? Huo Yuhao, you didn't even leave us a sip of soup."

"It's not actually an illusion." Huo Yuhao looked at the excessively enthusiastic Luo Bu and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "I originally intended to alter his consciousness and have him willingly lead his subordinates into joining my eldest brother and the others..."

At this point, Huo Yuhao changed the subject and introduced Xiao Yan to Luo Bu. "This is Xiao Yan."

"Then why are you..." Before the Little Fairy Doctor could finish her question while looking at the two men pressed so intimately together, she was interrupted.

The moment Luo Bu saw Xiao Yan, his eyes lit up. He released Huo Yuhao, spread his arms, and rushed toward Xiao Yan. "Haha, what a handsome young man! Such an outstanding talent! I want to swear brotherhood with you. Let us become brothers of different surnames!"

Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically as he watched this hairy, long-armed gorilla pounce toward him. His eyes filled with indescribable terror, as though he had seen an Indian man's monitor lizard. He hurriedly turned to flee.

"Huo Yuhao, get this thing away from me!"

"Come any closer and I'll attack!!"

"Don't come over here!!!"